An important pair of George III painted and parcel-gilt drawing room chairs, retaining their original painted-cotton seat covers and upholstery Circa 1795

the first chair with cresting rail centered by a carved musical trophy of a French hunting horn and another horn within an oval lozenge flanked by flaming torches and foliate acanthus lozenges within a beaded tablet and flanked by flower heads surmounted by gadrooned finials raised on stop-fluted columnar stiles with foliate capitals, the rectangular upholstered backrest à chassis and painted with a female figure holding an open book in her right hand and a compass in her left hand representing Prudence within a beaded oval lozenge flanked by winged caryatids holding a foliate canopy and floral swags amid foliate and floral grotesques all within a beaded border and painted with swirling acanthus to the square edge, the S-curved downswept armrests carved with trailing berried foliage and beading terminating in block-form handholds applied with flowerheads on tapered fluted acanthus-carved baluster supports, the rounded drop-in seat with conforming decoration to the backrest and painted with swirling acanthus to the square edge, above a conforming seat rail with beaded moldings raised on circular turned fluted tapering legs carved with beading and stiff leaves headed by flowerheads and terminating in turned feet, stamped I to the frame and backrest, the back marked with number 26.708 in red ink; the second chair with cresting rail centered by a carved martial trophy of a cannon, axe, spears and flags; the backrest painted with a blindfolded female figure with swirling drapery representing Fortune, stamped II to the frame and backrest, the back marked 26.712 in red ink.  Retaining the original gilt-metal and steel screw attachments.

George Granville Leveson-Gower, 2^nd Marquess of Stafford, created Duke of Sutherland 1833 (1758-1833)

Thence probably by descent to his son, George Granville Leveson-Gower, 2^nd Duke of Sutherland (1786-1861)

Possibly W. S. Hobson, Leicester

James Orrock, London, circa 1901

With French & Company, New York

Extremely fine chairs in very distressed condition with tattered remnants of their original painted fabric upholstery and in need of extensive sympathetic restoration; much of the original painted and parcel gilt decoration to backrests is still stable, most painted and parcel-gilt decoration to seats rails and legs with extensive losses and flaking, all chairs with later brass brackets to undersides of frames; remarkable survival of superior examples of upholstery techniques of the late 18th century; all chair frames, backrests and drop-in seat frames with Roman numerals to undersides Chair I Distressed condition, tattered remnants of original upholstery, front legs loose and separating from rails with tenons showing Chair II Distressed condition, tattered remnants of original upholstery, repaired break to top of right front leg, now with metal brace to inside back of seat rail, right back leg warped, lacking half of finial to top of left stile
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This important suite of seat furniture and pier tables is almost certainly part of a larger group designed to furnish a fashionable English drawing-room as shown by Thomas Sheraton in The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing-Book, published in London in 1793.  Plate 16, which is on a large scale, of this work is 'A Plan & Section of a Drawing Room', and illustrates in fold-out form for sides of a room one side with four windows and three pier tables and two armchairs, one side with a chimneypiece flanked by sofas, another with a commode, pier glass and six arm chairs, the fourth with a sofa and eight chairs.  The chairs and pier tables are remarkably similar in design to the present suite, in particular the chairs which have rounded seats, square backs and patterned upholstery as in the present examples.  In his text, Sheraton explains that 'A drawing-room is of that sort which admits of the highest taste and elegance; in furnishing of which, workmen in every nation exert the utmost efforts of their genius.  To assist me in what I have here shewn, I had the opportunity of seeing the Prince of Wales's, the Duke of York's, and other noblemen's drawing rooms.  I have not, however, followed any one in particular, but may have furnished my ideas from the whole, with such particulars as I thought best suited to give a display of the present taste in fitting up such rooms'.  He notes that 'The pier tables have marble tops and gold frames, or white and gold.  The glasses are often made to appear to come down to the stretcher of the table...'    'The sofas are bordered off in three compartments, and covered with figured silk or satin.  The ovals may be printed separately, and sewed on.  These sofas may have cushions to fill their backs, together with bolsters at each end'.     

 

The chairs and sofas in the suite are in a remarkable untouched condition, the gilded and white-japanned decoration being original and, other than overall losses and accrued dirt, with little or no touching-in to these finishes.  Their form is clearly related to a number of published designs including those of George Hepplewhite, The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Guide, Third edition, London, 1794, plate 10, fig. f, 'Cabriole Chairs', and in Thomas Sheraton, The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing Book, London, 1^st Edition, published in 1793, the 3^rd Edition being published in 1802., plate 32 'Drawing Room Chairs'.  As with the present chairs, these examples both have upright upholstered backs between turned uprights with arms of a similar profile, Sheraton noting that 'These chairs are finished in white and gold', and are also related to those illustrated by him in the  'Drawing Room' noted above.  The carving of the suite is of exceptional quality and, unusually, the small cartouches centering the crest rail each depicting different trophies related to the arts and others with military symbols.  The various components of each chair are individually marked with a chisel blade with the Roman numerals I through VIII to ensure that each piece is correctly fitted.

 

Of great rarity and significance is the original upholstery of the chairs and sofas which they also still retain, albeit in a distressed condition, their original 'white India Dimity' covers 'beautifully painted with medallions of various devices and handsome flower borders.'  The use of painted fabric appears to have been unusual in the 18^th century, almost certainly due to its fragile nature and lack of durability when used on seat furniture.  Both George Hepplewhite and Thomas Sheraton make reference to the technique, the former noting in his Guide that the circular backs of chairs 'are frequently inserted' with 'medallions, printed or painted on silk of natural colours'.  Sheraton, in his Drawing Book, described the 'printed and painted silks executed of late by Mr. Eckhardt, at his manufactory in Chelsea'.  In fact, around 1793 Eckhardt and Company had established a 'Royal patent manufactory of painted silks, varnished linen cloth, paper etc' in London; Francis and George Eckhardt are also recorded as patenting various processes for this technique in 1798.

   

Although described in the 1824 inventory as 'dimity', this form of cotton fabric was normally woven in a plain weave with a warp or weft rib effect, with raised stripes, the present fabric having a much smoother surface and weave.   The term was certainly used as a name for many sorts of cotton fabrics and although it has not been tested it is possibly an example of Mr. Eckhardt's 'varnished linen cloth'.

  

Painted in tones of green and blue with white highlights and with shading pf pale purple and pink, their designs are in the neo-classical taste and are obviously strongly influenced by the published work of Michelangelo Pergolesi.  Pergolesi was one of a group of 'highly skilled and talented artists, primarily in the graphic arts, whom Robert Adam had met in Italy', including Giovanni Battista Ciprani and Francesco Bartolozzi (Edward A. Maser, Classical Ornament in the Eighteenth Century, New York, 1969).  Pergolesi, together with the other two, followed Adam to London in the 1760s, working with him on his various publications and becoming 'esteemed and active members of London's artistic community, producing the graceful and charming stipple engravings.....and ornamental prints which are still considered the finest productions of their kind'.  From 1770 to 1801 he produced a series of prints which he published as Designs for Various Ornaments, Etc. from which the inspiration for the present covers, and also the designs for the various trophies on the crest rails are undoubtedly derived.  As Edward Maser notes (op. cit.), he 'particularly favored using panels or medallions within his interlaced all-over designs, in the center of the ornamental field.  He would depict some bit of idyllic or mythological subject within these medallions, often making them look like cameos', all these aspects being incorporated in the present designs.

 

The almost lost art of the eighteenth century upholsterer is clearly demonstrated by the original upholstery found on the present suite. In the fashionable French style, each edge is of almost box-like form, outlined with a twisted cord, and with an open woven braid at the seat rails; in 1792 Robert Cambell upholstered a suite of chairs supplied by François Hervé for Carlton House with seats of a similar profile which were described as with 'square stuffing'.  As with the printed fabrics mentioned by Sheraton, the principal panels are framed within separate decorated borders, the box edges also having separate borders, all of which are joined by exceptionally neat stitches.  The backs are upholstered à chassis, also in the French manner, being retained by the original steel screws with lacquered brass thumb screws.